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Victoria University of Wellington

Skype interviews are becoming popular with recruiters as using the web cam is a cost effective means of screening for short listing candidates, and solves the distance or location issue. For many people it can be a scary thought having an interview through video correspondence. If this is a new experience for you, you will probably have a lot of questions about the process.

Preparation: You should prepare for your Skype interview just like any other face to face interview. It is important that you do your research on the organisation and you know about the role that you are interviewing for. Your commercial awareness is just as important for a Skype interview. Also don’t think that because your interview is over Skype that you can write everything down and have it on a piece of paper beside you during your interview. This will be really obvious to the interviewer and it could put you off track also! A post-it note with a few points in front of you is a good idea.

Practice: This may be the first time that you have had to use Skype and therefore you are not sure how to behave over a video. It is a good idea to practice this with a friend or family member to make sure your eye contact and body language are sufficient – don’t forget these are just as important for an interview over Skype!

Dress code: Even though the interviewers will probably only see the top half of your body, it is still a good idea to wear full professional attire. This will not only help you in relation to your confidence but it will also help you feel like you have prepared for a face to face interview. It will also prevent the interviewers getting a glimpse of those pyjama bottoms!

Location: When doing a Skype interview it is important to think about where you are going to sit during the interview. Ideally it is a good idea to sit against a blank wall (so remove any posters) and in a quiet room – the interviewers will not want to see your flat mates emerging on screen during the interview!

Timing: There can sometimes be a delay over Skype because of the internet connection so it is important to be aware of this. Take the interview slowly to prevent speaking over the interviewer. Also make sure that your video is of adequate quality for better correspondence.

Skype interviews do not need to be as stressful as you think and there can actually be a few advantages to them such as:
 You don’t have to worry about travelling to a certain location or paying for travel to the interview.
 The interviewers may allow you to have the interview at a time that suits you so you do not have to reschedule anything.
 You can keep a few points on a post-it note to help prompt you during the interview but remember it is important not to rely on them.
The most important thing to remember is that you should treat your Skype interview just like you would treat any other face to face interview!

If you have a Skype interview coming up and want to practice, don’t forget that Vic Careers is here to support you.